Enfield Bullet : Classic 350 versus Classic 500

This is a discussion on Enfield Bullet : Classic 350 versus Classic 500 within Motorbikes, part of the BHP India category; Hi,
I have been following all the RE threads here and have gone through the ownership reports of few Bhpians ...

Hi,
I have been following all the RE threads here and have gone through the ownership reports of few Bhpians too and have decided to buy the RE classic. But my problem is, I am not able to decide between RE350 and RE500. The bike will mostly be used for road trips because I have a Uni for city but would like to do occasional city riding also. Also, I am a leanly built guy though I feel that should not be a cause for concern but want to know if it matters.

I took a short test ride (RE350) and liked it and want to do the booking. Please help me with your suggestions on whether to go for RE500 or RE350

The dealer is saying the wait period is 6-8 months, but that I feel is very long, can I go for an used one? There is right now 2011 model put on sale in classifieds here- http://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy-...d/Classic.html
The only trouble is it is in Gurgaon and have no way of doing a test ride

I would suggest the CL 500. The extra torque it generates is definitely a big plus in touring, especially when you are travelling with baggage and pillion in ghat sections. I own a '96 'cast iron' 500 and have realised it's advantages over the 350 while touring to leh.
Besides the CL 500 will have better snob value

Go with 500. As you said you'll mostly use the bike for road trips and the 500 can keep on running the entire day at a good speed. Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to ride a 500 yet but my friends were telling me that it's one sweet ride

Cruising speeds depend upon the place you are going to tour often. On a bike if you are going to stick to major highways a max of +10 kmph for a 500 is all you could gain over a 350.

But seriously cruising speeds unless you are going point A to B don't matter between the two bikes.

+1 on that. The the crusing speed difference between the 350 and the 500 is negligible. On highways you wouldn't find much difference as both could cruise at 80-100 kmph all day long. Like I said, the difference is only obvious on ghat sections with load.

Depends entirely on your requirements: If fuel economy and commuting with occassional weekend ride is your priority, then the 350 is a better bet. However that does not mean, it can't do Leh or ride the highways. Remember the 350 was the only choice for most of us just 2 years ago, and the UCE is a much more reliable unit than the CI engine. Besides a hell of lot people still prefer the TBTS for touring the vast Indian landscape.

But if you want to use the bike mostly for "real motorcycle touring" the 500 can keep up with pretty much anything on the highway. Its torque is amazing and gives you that extra power to pass fast moving vehicles.....just lovely !!

Is there room for a doubt..? 500 is the obvious choice for touring. Bigger heart, loads of torque and EFi to make the day. Every ride is going to be enjoyable with the 500. 350 is not far behind either. But a few trips down the road you will think about the 500. At 42Nm torque, you will feel like having an extra Unicorn Engine along with the 350. Thats the difference between a 350 & a 500.

Zac, Just a question, have you considered going in for a used RE? If a used one is fine for you, i'd suggest you try and get your hands on the RE 500 (Cast iron block).
They are really relaiable machines that have a perfect match between the 4-speed gear box and the torque of the engine.
I personally prefer the cast iron block over the EFI, having ridden them both for a good number of kilometers.
If you are in Bangalore, you should be able to pick up a good one for about 75k (Yes, the prices have sky-rocketed). Plonk in a few goodies like hi-lift cams and a bigger oil pump (Can be sourced from delhi), and lo, you have a slug on steroids

Ok, I get the point. I have seen some members here expressing concerns about the present EFI on 500, is this not something to bother?

Also there is some news of a 500TBTS making the rounds, if it's true and coming within a couple of months then I want to check it out before I make a decision.

If you are looking for a totally trouble free bike, its better to go for japanese ones. Hopefully, the EFI's issues have been taken care by RE. And EFI issue was not among the top troubles of C5 as you can make out from Randhawa's thread. And if you are going in for a Royal Enfield, you ought to know how to handle a little grease on your hand. Almost all the issues have been solved in the C5 and you can buy it now with peace of mind. Thanks to Randhawa and others for giving us the C5 of our dreams. I'll be getting my C5 next May.
500TB, no body's sure whether it'll be here in 2 months. Read the 2 months as 2 months to launch and another 10 months in waiting.

Not that the ecu / ignition module is failure prone but any such probs out of city means the only person of help would be a trucker. If you can allocate ~10% of the cost of bike to carry critical spares for long rides then 500 it is.

As suggested by many fellow tbhpians, if you are confused between classic 350/500 then classic 500 is the one that you should opt for. Other than the extra torque you will also feel the pride of owning a 500cc beast.

But since you will be mostly using it for touring then you may also consider the thunderbird, as it gives you a better and comfortable riding position for long tours.